A different kind of birthday present
by ToshiHakari
Summary: It's Roderich's birthday and Elizabeta has a very special present for him. One that might even rekindle long forgotten feelings?


Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of "Axis Powers Hetalia". They all belong to Hidekaz Himaruya. I'm just using them for my story :)

Author's Note: Because the 26th of October is National Holiday here in Austria and basically Austria's "birthday", I decided to write a little something with him and Hungary. I would also like to add that English is not my mother tongue and even though I'm quite fluent, there are still some things that are difficult for me. However, I'm open for constructive criticism and if you feel the need to tell me that I should correct something or if you think there's anything I could do better in my next story, do NOT hesitate to tell me. ;)

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Elizaveta was nervous - extremely nervous in fact - when she peeked into the piano room of her ex-husband Roderich. Today was a very special and important day, one she had been looking forward to for months. Today was Roderich's birthday.

As his former wife, she did know what he liked and what he did not like. But after years and years of presents, Elizaveta had the feeling that she was hitting a wall. For months she had agonized herself with what she should get for him, but to no avail.

Then finally, the very morning of the 26th of October in fact, she knew what she would do. It was a bold idea for a present, given the fact that Roderich was a quite reserved and serious man, but she also knew the person behind the stern façade.

While she was still hesitating to enter the room, the tune played by her ex-husband changed, indicating that he was very much aware of her presence. Elizaveta tried to hide a smile when she realized, that he was playing the Radetzky March.... "their" march. When the both of them were married, it was the march they had their first dance to during the wedding reception. Both Elizaveta and Roderich had found the uplifting and exuberant melody of the march to be perfect for sealing their love. And so the march had remained something very special to them during their time as a married couple.

But that had been ages ago, Elizaveta realized with a pang of sadness. Now, the both of them were divorced. Even though they had both agreed to split, they were still very much aware that a lack of love had never been the reason for it. And sometimes, Elizaveta wished that the wedding band, she was still wearing on her left ring finger, was more than just a nice reminder of a blissful romance.

"Aren't you coming in?" Roderich asked softly, interrupting her train of thought.

Elizaveta smiled at him and took a few small steps into the room. "Sorry, I was just caught by surprise... you haven't played the Radetzky march in a while..." she answered. Roderich looked at her and Elizaveta saw the sad, almost pained smile on his face. Damn, this wasn't making their "divorced situation" easier in any way.

"Yeah, I know..." he said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

They both stood there for a few seconds, until Elizaveta finally decided to get on with what she wanted to do.

"Um... you know what day today is, right?" she asked, raising her eyebrows in expectation. Roderich chuckled.

"Honestly, Eliza, do you think I'd forget my own birthday?" he asked as Elizaveta came closer and stopped right beside the piano bench her ex-husband was still sitting on. "And what about that one birthday where you completely forgot about it because the outcome of the National Council elections had shocked you so much?" she teased with a big grin on her face.

Roderich, in return, blushed almost immediately, sat up bolt upright and replied with a stuttered: "But... but that was only once! And you knew how horrible the outcome of the elections was! Thanks to that, I even had to explain myself to Ludwig for weeks!"

Elizaveta giggled. He was still the same, after all those years. _My dear Roderich..._

"I'm only joking, dear, I'm sorry" she said, worrying that he might bear a grudge, but feeling relieved when she saw that he simply shook his head and smiled.

"The thing is..." she continued, "that I came to you to give you your present. I'm sure you'd rather have it now before you need to take care of your work. I know, normally it's "business before pleasure" but maybe this time we can handle it the other way around?" she said, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. "I would break all the rules for you, Eliza, you know that" Roderich answered, looking into her eyes with a stare that sent tingles down her spine and gave her just the right amount of confidence she needed.

"Then why don't you go ahead and break them?" Elizaveta whispered as she sat down on Roderich's lap, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a passionate kiss. She expected her ex-husband to be taken by surprise, but when he wrapped his arms around her slender frame in return, she knew that she had only reawoken a passion between the both of them, they had tried to suppress for years in vain.

Roderich slid his right hand up her back to rest at the nape of her neck, pressing her even more against him in an attempt to deepen the kiss. A soft moan escaped Elizaveta's throat when she felt his tongue gently sliding into her mouth. She had to admit that while her ex-husband was quite reserved and sometimes even shy, he was still very much capable of kissing her in such a way that it made her head spin and her legs turn to jelly.

When they finally broke the kiss off, both of them panted for air, but didn't dare to take their eyes off each other. With a swift movement, Roderich scooped his ex-wife up into his arms whilst standing up from his piano bench. His intentions were more than clear to Elizaveta and she didn't mind in the slightest. The work would have to wait. Or be omitted altogether.

"Let's see..." Roderich said all of a sudden, "I think I know what you got me for my birthday". Elizaveta looked at him, puzzled. He cradled her carefully with the most concentrated expression on his face. "Hm... But I think I might have to unwrap this present... what do you think, Eliza?" he added, his frown giving way to a mischievous smile. And Elizaveta understood.

"I think you most definitely need to unwrap it", she replied, kissing him softly on his lips, before he carried her out to his bedroom.

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The steady ticking of the antique clock on Roderich's bedstand was something Elizaveta had sorely missed, she came to realize as she lay sprawled across her ex-husband's chest. Their love-making had been extremely passionate, almost feverish in fact. All those years of holding back, of suppressing any flicker of lust had led to that "moment of weakness" that eruption of pleasure, want and need.

Elizaveta softly caressed Roderich's chest, as she looked up to meet his gaze. He smiled at her, wrapped his arm around her and sighed. "That was by far the best birthday present I've ever received", he simply stated, trying to keep his face blank.

Elizaveta giggled. "I'm glad you liked it", she replied and snuggled up to him. Both fell silent, their steady breathing and the constant clock-ticking were the only sounds that filled the room.

"Elizaveta?" Roderich asked hesitantly after a while, unsure if his ex-wife was still awake or not.

"Yes?" she answered, looking at him once again.

"I just wondered if... if... you know... if we should get married again" he said, staring at the ceiling of his bedroom to avoid looking at her. Elizaveta could feel her heart beating faster. Was it really possible? That after all this time, Roderich, too, could see a future for the both of them as a married couple?

"I... I would very much love to be your wife once again. You can't imagine how much I've longed for this to happen" she answered, her throat tightening with emotion, a few tears trickling down her cheek. Roderich heaved a sigh of relief and bent down to kiss his soon-to-be wife gently on her lips while wiping her tears away with his thumb.

"Shh, it's alright, sweetheart" he whispered when she couldn't hold back her tears of joy anymore. _We're going to be husband and wife once again...Things really couldn't become any better_, she thought.

When her tears had finally dried, she turned to look at Roderich once more. But the handsome man had already fallen asleep, the evident joy at their reconciliation still visible on his face. Elizaveta smiled.

"Happy Birthday, Roderich", she whispered softly before sinking back into her husband's arms.


End file.
